Antenna operable at two frequency bands simultaneously

Abstract

An antenna is provided which is structured to operate at two frequency bands simultaneously. The antenna is structured as a waveguide cavity having two types of radiating elements provided on its top surface, symmetrically about the diagonal of the cavity. One group of radiating elements is optimized to operate at one frequency band, while the other group is optimized to operate at a first frequency band. In one implementation, two groups of holes of different diameter are provided on the top surface of the cavity and the radiating elements are two groups of cones of different diameter coupled to different diameter holes. The different diameter holes act as a filet between the two frequency bands.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of and claims priority from U.S. Application Ser. No. 60 / 808,187, filed May 24, 2006; U.S. Application Ser. No. 60 / 859,667, filed Nov. 17, 2006; U.S. Application Ser. No. 60 / 859,799, filed Nov. 17, 2006; and U.S. Application Ser. No. 60 / 890,456, filed Feb. 16, 2007, this Application is further a continuation-in-part and claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 695,913, filed Apr. 3, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,466,281, the disclosure of all of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The general field of the invention relates to a unique antenna arrangement for radiating and receiving electromagnetic radiation at two frequency bands simultaneously.[0004]2. Related Arts[0005]Various antennas are known in the art for receiving and transmitting electro-magnetic radiation. Physically, an antenna consists of a radiating element made of cond...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an antenna that can simultaneously operate at two frequency bands. It includes a square waveguide cavity, at least one radiating element, and a plurality of second radiating elements. The second radiating elements are optimized for operation at a second band of frequencies, while the at least one radiating element is optimized for operation at a first band of frequencies. The antenna also includes a radiation source that couples a planar wave into the waveguide cavity through one of the sidewalls. The second radiating elements may be arranged at an L-shape about the first radiating element. The cavity has different heights optimized for guising wave energy at the first and second frequency bands. The radiation source and second radiation source may include a conductive element and a radiation reflector. The antenna also includes waveguide extensions that are each coupled between one of the sidewalls and one of the pair of mating conductive element and radiation reflector. The technical effects of the invention include improved frequency coverage, reduced interference, and improved signal quality."

Problems solved by technology

With micro-strip technology, antenna efficiency greatly diminishes as the size of the antenna increases.

However, phase shifters are costly and, particularly if the phased array incorporates many elements, the overall antenna cost can be quite high.

Also, phase shifters require separate, complex control circuitry, which translates into unreasonable cost and system complexity.

While that antenna is said to have a low profile—extending to a height of “only” 14 inches without the radome (radar dome)—its size may be acceptable for military applications, but not acceptable for consumer applications, e.g., for private automobiles.

Current mobile systems are expensive and complex.

In practical consumer products, size and cost are major factors, and providing a substantial reduction of size and cost is difficult.

In addition to the cost, the phase shifters of known systems inherently add loss to the respective systems (e.g., 3 dB losses or more), thus requiring a substantial increase in antenna size in order to compensate for the loss.

In a particular case, such as a DBS antenna system, the size might reach 4 feet by 4 feet, which is impractical for consumer applications.

Current antenna systems are relatively too large for commercial use, have problems with collection efficiency, and are priced in the thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars, thereby being way beyond the reach of the average consumer.

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